6 months ago
27
NEW DELHI: Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur behind Tesla,
SpaceX
, and social media platform X, landed in Bali,
Indonesia
on Sunday to inaugurate the
Starlink satellite internet
service in the world's largest archipelagic nation.
The launch ceremony is set to take place at a public health clinic in Denpasar, the capital of Bali, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in attendance.
Musk will also sign an agreement aimed at improving connectivity in Indonesia's health and education sectors, according to Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the country's Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment, who greeted Musk upon his arrival.
Indonesia, with its population of over 270 million spread across 17,000 islands and three time zones, faces challenges in providing high-speed internet access to its remote regions. "Our remote regions need Starlink to expand high-speed internet services, especially to help with problems in the health, education and maritime sectors," Pandjaitan stated.
Local internet providers, relying on base transceiver stations, struggle to reach outer islands due to limited coverage. Starlink's low-orbit satellites are expected to deliver faster internet speeds with nationwide coverage, as explained by Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi.
During his visit, Musk is also scheduled to attend the 10th World Water Forum, which focuses on addressing global water and sanitation challenges. This marks Musk's first in-person visit to Bali, following his virtual participation in the B-20 business forum in 2022, shortly after his highly publicized acquisition of Twitter.
Musk's visit comes on the heels of recent visits by Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who expressed interest in manufacturing and investing in Indonesia's digital infrastructure, respectively. These developments align with Indonesia's Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision, which aims to position the country among the world's top five economies by its centennial anniversary of independence.
